Napa Indians Football

It has to end sometime....

...but I was REALLY hoping it wouldn't be that Friday. A wise man once told me that, "very rarely will your season end on a winning note." Sad, but true. (Way to lighten the mood, self.)

I'm sure it has been a rough weekend for many households. For instance, yesterday was the first day without practice, which I'm sure was hard. It didn't take long before a certain senior that I happen to live with was outside throwing the football around. I think he made it to 4pm before he dragged his poor girlfriend out to play catch.

While the outcome wasn't what we had hoped for, there were some highlights that deserve some recognition and some photo love.

Here are some notes and thought from Coach Mott:

"After film review, it was a game we felt we could of won. We left some plays out on the field. Our character as a team continued to shine, never giving up and giving ourselves a chance at the end of the game. This class of seniors will be sorely missed. The mainstays of the class were incredible competitors. They all came to Napa High highly touted and this core group gave their heart and soul to the football program. It has been an honor to coach them.
We had several underclassmen already in the weightroom working out Monday afternoon. They seem very intent on carrying on the tradition of tough, disciplined football."

That mentality makes me feel somewhat better. My hat's off to the underclassmen for getting back at it. In other news, I'm officially rooting for Vacaville to kick the crap outta Elk Grove this week. Here's something you won't hear me say too often: Go Bulldogs. (Just can't muster an exclamation point--wouldn't want to get too carried away.)

Photos will be up shortly. I figured that since it was the last time for photos (outside of the banquet), I would dedicate a whole post to them. Check back. Also check back for dates and times for the football program banquet. More to come. Just because we're done playing doesn't mean we're done.

What a way to start my Thanksgiving!

If only I could roll out of bed and have coffee and donuts and watch football EVERY morning...

The new photos are here! The new photos are here!

A little visual of Friday night's win over Jesuit...

(The brains of the whole operation. And I'm not talking about 16 and 10, either. Isn't it funny how you can pick up on sarcasm via the internet??)

Directions to Elk Grove and the Playoff Bracket

Since we are in fact on the road this week, here are the directions to Elk Grove High School:

Merge onto CA-29 S via the ramp on the LEFT toward VALLEJO/SAN RAFAEL. (7.4 miles)
Turn LEFT onto JAMESON CANYON RD/CA-12. (5.8 miles)
Merge onto I-80 E. (42.5 miles)
Keep LEFT to take US-50 E/CAPITAL CITY FWY toward SACRAMENTO/SOUTH LAKE TAHOE. (5.2 miles)
Merge onto CA-99 S toward FRESNO. (11.7 miles)
Take the ELK GROVE BLVD exit. (0.2 miles)
Turn LEFT onto ELK GROVE BLVD. (0.9 miles)
Turn RIGHT onto ELK GROVE FLORIN RD. (0.5 miles)

End at 9800 Elk Grove Florin Rd Elk Grove, CA 95624-2549, US

Total Est. Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes Total Est. Distance: 75.25 miles

And for those interested parties, here is the bracket for the Division 1 Sac-Joaquin Section football playoffs after the first round (click the image to enlarge)

First round playoff win=Thanksgiving practice!

Friday night's 56-35 victory over Jesuit means not only are the Indians one step closer to the Section Championship but now we have Thanksgiving practice! On a totally selfish note, I LOVE waking up on Thanksgiving morning and being at the stadium in my sweats, watching practice. And eating donuts. I like that too.

Since it was that win over Jesuit that allows us to engage in those holiday festivities, let's do a little recap.

Not only was it a recording breaking night for the Indians, but to quote Coach Mott, "there were some big time plays from several players." David Gladieux had a TD & 2 huge interceptions (and I hear from a pretty reliable source that the performance of the DBs earned them a dinner) but he also made several key blocks on the perimeter. Kostecka, Boyett, Croxdale and LeMasters didn't play too shabby either.

"These guys made big time plays all night, but don't forget about the O-line and the backs, with their pass protections and the 2 gut check drives at the end of the game," Mott said.

Napa surged in the second half, looking much more energized than Jesuit. "You can attribute the win to our weightroom and conditioning," Mott said. "We wore them down and we came away with a big win because of the hard work put in all year round, down there in that quonset hut."

The Blackshirts played well and were putting hits on Jesuit, especially in the second half. "The defense found a rhythm in the second half, but they were also able to make some things happen on broken plays. They were able to create something out of nothing," Mott said. "Hayden Campo made a big contribution in our cover 2 package and it's nice to see him healthy and playing back to his standards."

And while we're on the subject of the team's health, Mott says this could very well be the healthiest the team has been all season. Linden Fowler and Gabe Guastucci played a fair amount of the game and it was nice to see them mixing it up. Hopefully with another week of rehab, those two will be able to contribute even more this coming week.

"Jason Westerberg was able to come back after turning an ankle he showed a lot of heart in the second half and will need some mending this week. We have bumps and bruises which is normal this time of the year. We need to get rest and ice our booboos," Mott said. (Yes, he really said booboos.)

Unfortunately for the kids, icing comes in the form of an ice BATH. One word--YIKES!

Over the past couple years, Turkey Day practice has become a great tradition and Mott, along with the of the Indians invite everyone to come see the team practice at the stadium Thursday morning @ 9 AM and the team prepares for Elk Grove the next night.

Elk Grove is a Wing-T team who is very effective at running the football.

"They are a very good football team, but who isn't this time of the year?" Mott said. "We will have to play physical and smart-- cut out some of our mental penalties and continue to hold on to the football. Tackling is of the utmost importance. We have to have guys willing to stick their nose in there and make good tackles. We need to get 11 to the football and help each other be great defenders."

So, Friday night in Elk Grove and directions will be up shortly. The Jesuit game was just plain fun to watch, minus the referees. Who knew that the team from the MEL would be treated like the red-headed stepchild of the section last night? The game also had a few moments of note off the field. Like for instance, when Jesuit--the all-boys school--started chanting "We've got God! " which was met with the NHS rooting section chanting back, "we've got girls! " I got a few laughs from that. And I hope the band comes to Elk Grove on Friday night. Hint hint.

I will put some pictures up from the game early this week for our viewing pleasure so check back.

And with that, I hope to see everyone on Thursday morning. Throw on your Napa Football sweatshirt (you know you all have like five) and don't worry about getting all spruced up because I'm just wearing my pajamas.

Go Indians!

The All-League list is here!

Coaches from the Monticello Empire League met on Tuesday night to decide who was selected to All-League. Congratulations to the following Indians:

1st Team Offense:
QB: Ted LeMasters
RB: John Boyett
Tackle: Miguel Figueroa
Center: Scott Johnson

1st Team Defense:
Linebacker: Jake Croxdale
D-Line: Ryan Barragan
DB: John Boyett

2nd Team Offense:
TE: Jason Westerberg
RB: Jake Croxdale
Guard: Robert Butler

2nd Team Defense:
D-End: Jeremiah Luke
Linebacker: Jason Westerberg

Honorable Mention Offense:
WR: Ryan Kostecka
Guard: David Smith

Honorable Mention Defense:
DB: David Gladieux

And congratulations to John Boyett, who was voted by the MEL coaches as PLAYER OF THE YEAR!

You gotta love a Big Game win!!

How much does beating Vintage ROCK???

Let me remind you:

Yea, pretty much the best.thing.ever.

The Big Game atmosphere was absolutely AWESOME and we were in excess of 8,000 people! Max capacity at Memorial Stadium and a sea of blue and gold is fabulous.

There is so much to build on for next week--the Indians played so well. That VC fumble recovered by Napa 2 plays into the game led to our first TD and the scoring barrage began.